In 2012, Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow and Anna Camp brought the house down with their little movie about a University acapella singing group called the Bellas. Produced on a modest USD17 million budget, Pitch Perfect went on to be a sleeper hit, raking in USD115 million worldwide and spawning two sequels.
The novelty of the movie, based on the little-explored territory of acapella singing, combined with humour, pop-culture references and those brilliant performances make Pitch Perfect, well, pitch perfect indeed. The chemistry between the cast is crackling, and each actress performs their own singing and dancing brilliantly.
But, what if Pitch Perfect featured a male cast? Who’d play the equivalents of Beca, Fat Amy, Chloe, Aubrey and company?
Beca
She’s the most “normal” of the bunch, just a college girl trying to get through school, and who just happened to have a deep passion and talent for singing and music. If the role went to a guy, it would have to land in the hands of Zac Efron. Graduating from High School Musical, we know he’s not short on singing and dancing talents. Like Kendrick, Efron is self-assured, funny and has great comedic timing. And if he can hold his own opposite heavyweights like Robert De Niro in Dirty Grandpa (2016) and Dwayne Johnson in Baywatch (2017), he’ll handle Beca alright.
Fat Amy
Rebel Wilson’s standout performance in the 2011 comedy Bridesmaids got her noticed and cast in Pitch Perfect. As Fat Amy, she’s balanced being funny, self-deprecating and annoying at the same time. If played by someone else, Fat Amy would have been a character we’d love to hate, but Wilson approaches the role with an openness that makes Fat Amy a joy. If Fat Amy was a guy, then Jonah Hill is that guy. Size aside (although he’s lost quite a bit of weight), Hill tends to play roles that see him as that bumbling, sometimes annoying sidekick, like in 21 Jump Street (2012). He does well with physical humour, just like Wilson as Fat Amy, which endears to audiences.
Chloe
Somewhat neurotic, Chloe obsesses about her nodes condition that renders her unable to hit high notes, and she tends to fret quite a bit. She also lacks self-confidence, and often tries her best to please everyone. Ezra Miller, fresh from his turn as The Flash in Justice League, Miller makes the ideal Chloe. Unsure of his place in the Justice League, The Flash gets a tad skittish and is hesitant of the prowess of his powers. This mirrors Chloe. Despite being a co-leader of the Bellas, she’s always in the shadow of the more abrasive Aubrey, and isn’t confident in her singing ability. Miller would make his Chloe version a little funnier though, we’re sure.
Aubrey
She’s the leader we all hate, but Aubrey has grown on us over the three movies. Her quest for perfection has made her seemed over-bearing and harsh initially. But her stand-offish demeanour and her go-by-the-book personality eventually give way to a vulnerability that endears. Topher Grace tends to play awkward characters that don’t fit in with the crowd well. And once you ease into his character, he wins you over his earnestness, just like his character, Carter, from the movie In Good Company (2004).
Cynthia Rose
Cynthia Rose isn’t your typical Bella. She’s tomboyish and a hip-hop singer, and considers herself as an outcast. Ester Dean, in her first movie role, gives Cynthia range and depth. As an outcast and a lesbian, Cynthia finds herself in funny situations like being attracted her fellow Bellas and not quite sure what to do with it. If Cynthia were a guy, Kevin Hart would fit the bill. He would play the outcast role to perfection, and balances it out with effortless humour. The part where Cynthia reveals that she is a lesbian? Kevin would have done it in one take we're sure.
Stacie
There’s always someone like Stacie in every group setting, the sultry, flirtatious girl on the hunt for attention from the opposite sex. But instead of being a total bitch, Stacie, played by Alexis Knapp, is a likeable character. And if she were a guy, Channing Tatum would make a lovely Stacie.
Channing’s stripper dancer character in Magic Mike (2012) is a sex bomb and a chick magnet, but still has that down-to-earth quality that makes him approachable, much like Stacie. Channing is sexy without even trying, just like Knapp’s natural sex appeal.
